It Begins
by Sekiseishi
Summary: It's been three years since Ben's seen the Omnitrix. Now eighteen and searching for a missing Kevin he encounters a new enemy that forces him to go back to what he tried so hard to be rid of. BeVin. X-posted on livejournal.


**It Begins**

Author: Sekiseishi

c. Man of Action

A/N: This story should be read before 'From Kevin' since you won't understand much of what's going on unless you've read this first. If you're only reading for the smut and progressive relationship between Ben and Kevin you could probably skip this without creating too many problems for yourself. Unbetad version. *nom nom*

**It Begins**

The bright sun, merry and shining in a polished blue sky. Not a single cloud was visible and light breeze blew through the grassy field, crisp and chilly and harboring the beginning of fall. The entire area was full of people. Sitting, talking, eating, studying.

A sigh escaped smiling lips, a lithe hand reaching up to brush a stray strand of brown hair from a slightly tanned forehead. Vibrant green eyes observed the crowd and the young man walked into it without hesitation, easily maneuvering through the near-barricade of young bodies.

It was peaceful. Noisy and somewhat hectic, but peaceful, and Ben found himself relaxing more and more. His first semester of college had begun and, although he'd dreaded it all summer, it was exciting. Three years without so much as a hiccup from a hostile alien life-form, the Omnitrix locked safely away where only he and Gwen could get to it, and nothing but a few more years of studying stood between him and a normal life with a normal career starting a normal family. He remembered Julie somewhat, but she left to study in Japan very soon after he'd finished taking out most of the aliens that threatened his family's very way of life. She hadn't spoken to him since she left, ignoring any and all attempts at contact, but he was over her. She was long gone and he'd chosen a much different path. Hero business was over, girls were overrated, and he had a chance to start anew at college. New friends, new teachers, parents safely back in Bellwood, Gwen starting Harvard in another week and himself way down in Nicholls University.

It was funny. He'd always imagined Louisiana as a swamp-land infested with crocodiles, huge catfish, mosquitos and overall-wearing hillbillies who played the banjo for fun and had bad teeth. Luckily it was nothing of the sort. Everything was just as modern and normal as it had been back in Bellwood. Granted, there was a stray Mississippi-born person every now and again, but nothing freaky or out-of-the-ordinary.

He stretched, his backpack holding only a lone binder with some looseleaf for the time being. He hadn't gotten his books just yet, but he was sure his teachers wouldn't make them use textbooks on the first day. At least, it was what he heard.

He spared a single glance back at his new car, parked safely in the dormitory parking lot, the light green paint glinting almost happily in the bright sun. Everything was looking up-

A dark figure passed him and he turned quickly, observing the tall young man that walked ahead of him. Dark hair that reached just past his shoulders was pulled into a rough ponytail and ... blue eyes looked back at him quizzically.

- That was, everything _except_ Kevin's inexplicable and quite sudden disappearing act. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of the mutant in two years, not even getting so much as a postcard and lately Ben had been seeing their lost comrade everywhere he looked. Even his own reflection played tricks on him every now and again. It was infuriating, but they had no way of knowing where he'd run off to. Even all of his 'dealers' had disappeared without a trace. The rat guy was the last one they'd seen, but he refused to say anything. Whether he knew Kevin's whereabouts or not hadn't been clear, but the 'no' had been. Ben absently rubbed at the small scar on his right shoulder where he'd been stabbed by a few of the quills. His 'no' had been perfectly clear.

-

He woke up, the dream recurring often enough that it wasn't a surprise anymore. In fact, it was expected. He wasn't in college. He wasn't in Louisiana. Gwen _was_ starting Harvard, but not for another three months at least, so she'd gone on a vacation with her parents for a few weeks. To say goodbye was Ben's guess, since she planned on leaving two or three weeks before classes began to get a head start. He planned on going to Nicholls, but he hadn't yet received his advisor's name so he was unable to schedule any classes for the time being.

Orange sunlight streamed between the curtains and he sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning widely.

Kevin was still missing. Two years and nothing.

He looked at his shoulder, half-hoping that maybe the scars would have faded with the dream, but was met with disappointment. They were still there, pink and new. It had only been a few weeks since they saw the rat-faced creep, and only after he'd been stuck had the dreams begun.

He wanted to tell Gwen about them, but having her know about strange dreams involving Kevin look-alikes and college campuses in Louisiana didn't seem conducive to her relaxing with her parents on vacation.

The sheets rustled loudly in the dark room as he stood, green boxers almost blue in the dim light. He headed towards the windows and opened the curtains, leaving the blinds closed so he could dress in privacy.

After his morning ritual of brushing his teeth and hair and emptying his bladder, he headed down the stairs. His parents were most likely already at work, getting as much face-time in before they started their own little vacation nearer to the end of the summer, so he had the house to himself until eight or nine at night.

The pot of coffee that sat on the counter was still hot and he glanced at the clock on the oven. Only about seven in the morning. He had plenty of time to scout out the city and look for more clues that led to Kevin, but first thing was first. He poured himself a mug of the hot, black liquid, sniffing lightly at the steam. Caffeinated. Apparently his mother had been the last one to leave and forgot to put the coffee away. Either that or she decided her son would want some of the demonic stuff before he began his day. Either way, Ben drank it black, his mug empty in a few gulps. He decided against more, though, figuring he'd rather not end up in a fight and have to piss half-way through. Hopefully he would get that close to an answer.

He left the house wearing black cut-off sweatpants, black tennis-shoes, and a black t-shirt with the knowledge that blood stains didn't show up as well on black as they did on any other color firmly in his mind.

-

A half an hour passed and Ben began to jog, the busier part of the city only a few blocks away. The eerily dark alleys were visible from where he was, but he didn't dread having to go into the little-known areas, positive that he would find some information on Kevin if he was able to track down some of the more notorious dealers that inhabited the underground.

His head perked up as he entered the city, a lizard-like face catching his attention straight away. Yellow eyes regarded him with a vicious expression, disappearing behind a fenced-off alley a block away. Lucky day. It wasn't a face he recognized, but he knew trouble when he saw it, and where there was trouble, there was usually some Kevin involvement. He went down the same alley, jumping the fence easily, and slowed to a stop when the same face watched him from the sewer, the heavy lid clanging loudly as the alien dropped down the ladder.

Ben made a face, walking towards the iron weight.

"Ugh. Not the way I wanted it to go," he stooped down and hefted the lid from it's resting place, peering down into the dark depths. "Shoulda brought a flashlight ... and a noseplug."

He debated for a moment on whether or not to go back and get both items, but decided against it. The lizard could be long gone by the time he returned, and he had a good feeling about the alien.

A scaley claw shot up from the manhole, grabbing his ankle, and dragged him down to the damp cement tube below the surface.

Several pairs of glowing yellow eyes glared at him from beyond the light of the entrance, a heavy tail sliding to follow it's owner into the group of aliens.

"Maybe ... we can talk about this," he suggested, opening his arms to show that he wasn't armed. He felt a throbbing on his left wrist, remembering the pain it caused to rip the Omnitrix from the appendage three years ago and how hard it had been to get it off. He half-wished he had it now.

Shuffling sounded behind him and he turned, only to be swatted into the darkness by another claw. Deep gashes stung his left cheek and he stood, dodging a punch aimed at his face. He dropped to the ground, kicking out his leg and swinging, feeling his ankle hit a pair of legs and hearing the satisfying thud of two aliens falling to the wet cement. It was only a second before he was dragged to his feet and slammed into the side of the tube. His forehead scraped painfully across the rough surface and all he could see were stars. He stumbled, ending up in the grip of another alien, and wriggled uselessly. A fist embedded itself in his stomach and he coughed, crying out as the motion was repeated.

'Probably should have waited for Gwen to get back before going out,' he thought, mentally kicking himself.

Apparently the aliens were mind readers as the punches stopped and what could only be a clawed foot hitting his thigh. The wicked nails stuck into his flesh and were mercilessly ripped out. Again he was kicked, in the other thigh, more puncture wounds made by the unknown aliens. The only thing holding him up was the alien behind him, but he'd be damned if he let them win. Ignoring the pain as only a stubborn guy could, he sucked in a breath and somersaulted backwards, over his captor's head. The alien flipped, hitting it's skull hard against the ground as it tried to bend with him. Well, at least they weren't too smart.

He limped towards the ladder, cursing his so-called 'good' feeling. Obviously he wasn't allowed to safely have those feelings anymore. They were dangerous and shouldn't be followed unless he had the stupid Luck Charm from eight years ago. He didn't, though, and as he grabbed a metal rung on the ladder something wrapped around his feet, tugging hard enough to cause him to lose his grip. His head cracked against the last rung and his whole body went numb.

His thoughts muddled and his eyes blinded by darkness and disbelief left him helpless as the lizard-like creatures surrounded him. There was a flash of silver and the aliens turned away from him, but it was the last thing he remembered.

-

He smelled blood and the only thing he could think of was that he'd broken his nose and that his parents would be pissed to find out that he'd been beaten up in a fight after he went out looking for one and ... oh, light. That was nice. It meant he wasn't dead, yet. His eyes opened of their own discretion, faintly noting that the light _hurt_. It hurt a lot. He blinked, intent on figuring out his situation and whether or not he could save himself.

Imagine his surprise to discover he was laying in a bed, covered and bandaged with no sign of aliens or freaks or ... anything too weird. He was, however, still underground. The subway lights above him flickered tiredly, one winking at him as he assessed the new development.

Okay. So, he'd been saved. The aliens were gone, and he was safe and sound in a subway.

"Finally awake, Benjy?"

Relief flooded through him, followed closely by caution. The voice was familiar, but it wasn't one he'd heard for a long, _long_ time. He tried to sit up, the pounding in his head instructing him to do otherwise, but a pair of strong hands gently pushed him back.

"You probably shouldn't move for a while," the voice was soft, sympathetic. At least, it would have been sympathetic if Ben didn't know the owner so well.

"Kevin," he murmured, smiling a little as the familiar face came into view. Shaggy black hair that reached past his shoulders pulled back into a lazy ponytail, and dark eyes that held something akin to worry. "You're as pale as ever."

"Yeah? You're lucky I found you when I did," Kevin sat on the bed next to Ben's hip, still watching the younger man. "Those creeps would've turned you into dinner if I hadn't jumped in."

The smaller put a hand to his head, his other hand pushing down the covers: "Where are my clothes and how long have I been out?"

Kevin leered. If Ben didn't know better, he was sure the other had indecent thoughts while undressing him and treating his wounds. Good thing he knew him better. At least, he thought he did.

"What'sa matter, Benjy? Embarrassed? Don't be," the dark-haired youth leaned down, his face very close to Ben's own. "It's not like I haven't seen your body before."

Ben couldn't stop the blush that spread across his face and he lowered the hand on his forehead carefully, pulling the covers back up ever-so-slightly.

Kevin laughed and pulled away: "Aw. You're still a virgin. How cute."

The once-xenomorph sputtered indignantly, or as indignantly as he could laying down: "I am not!"

The mutant froze, eyes suddenly dangerous. He looked relatively angry for a moment, like he wanted to kill someone, but the expression passed so quickly Ben could've imagined it. Why was Kevin angry now?

He sat up, slowly, despite Kevin's advising against it.

"Look. I know you're probably pissed that Gwen and I have been trying to find you for so long," he couldn't bring himself to meet the other's eyes, sure that he knew why the other was angry. "You're probably tired of playing hero and whatnot and you don't want anything to do with us anymore. But, we were worried. You left so suddenly and I at least had to figure out why ... if only for Gwen's sake."

Kevin was silent and Ben could almost feel the weighing gaze that fell on him. The minutes ticked by and he could almost hear the ticking of a second hand somewhere. It was unnerving and he shifted uncomfortably. Maybe Kevin was going to strangle him right then and there, forget Gwen and any feelings the mutant had for her, get rid of the pest before he caused anymore trouble. Time continued to pass and he began a steady fidgeting, playing with a loose thread on the grey cotton blanket.

"Don't pick at it, you'll make it worse," Kevin's voice startled him and he looked up, a sound that could only be described as 'meep' producing itself via Ben's vocal chords. The older still looked angry, but something else shone in his dark eyes. An emotion that Ben couldn't place. "So," he continued, "you only looked for me 'cause Gwen wanted to find me? What about you?"

His mouth opened and closed of its own accord, and Kevin nearly smiled at the younger's rather impressive attempt at a goldfish.

"I-I, uh, that is to say ...," green eyes shut for a moment as their owner inhaled deeply, his small chest puffing out a little. Kevin almost stopped him before he could say anything more, recognizing the tell-tale grimace of pain, but didn't get the chance. "I wanted to find you, too. Gwen went on vacation with her folks, though, so I continued looking without her. It's why she's not here-"

Kevin raised an eyebrow: "I gathered that."

"Ah, well, she's been unable to look for some time because of school and whatnot, and she'll be going to Harvard this year, so she has a lot of studying to do-"

"And you were still looking because ... ?"

"Because ... well ... I missed you?"

I sounded more like a question and the eyebrow went up a notch higher. More silence and Kevin noted that it caused Ben to squirm. Useful information for the future, to be sure. Amusing, as well. His lips quirked up and his eyebrow went back to it's original position: "Kinda, sorta, just a little?"

"More than that," Ben's answer was quick and obviously not what the younger had meant to say. He shut his mouth after that, eyes a little wide as he probably berated himself. "That is to say ... um ..."

Kevin shrugged, a lazy motion that Ben noted was quite graceful as well. Both Kevin and Gwen had a natural elegance that made them so perfect for each other ... as much as it pained Ben to admit. Power, skill, grace. All were traits that he, himself, no longer possessed. The only reason Kevin stuck around was to make sure Gwen and the Omnitrix didn't fall into the wrong hands. Ben himself was of little consequence. Gwen stuck around mostly because she was worried about Ben, but the reason for the worry was because of the Omnitrix. If he'd just let Gwen take the stupid thing then perhaps he could have been left alone. She was powerful with or without the damnable thing, so she was a better candidate anyway. Kevin would've made a good host, too, though Ben wasn't sure the Omnitrix would've taken the mutant as it's new owner.

All he felt was ... in the way. He was horribly normal. No powers, even though alien blood flowed through him as well, no super-intellect, no brawn, no flashy lights, nothing. Just ... Ben and a watch that did everything for him. Of course, it didn't help that he was only reminding himself that he'd become reliant on it and it's absence was nothing short of infuriating and embarrassing. He felt so naked and useless when compared to his cousin and friend-turned-crush.

"Like what you see?"

He turned away and cleared his throat, realizing he'd been staring at the other for some time.

'Great. Just drop hints left and right that you have a crush on him. You'll end up flattened within the hour.'

"Sorry."

Another shrug: "Don't be. I don't mind. In fact, I kinda like the attention."

It suited the dark-haired young man and came as no surprise. Kevin, the attention-whore. Not that Ben would ever call the other such a thing, not unless he had some sort of suicidal tendencies.

There was an odd sound, suddenly, coming from the subway tunnel. A hissing and scraping noise that sent shivers up Ben's spine. Something in the back of his head told him to run, but he wasn't sure where, or what from, and he definitely wanted to know the latter.

Kevin turned towards the sound, grabbing the frame of the bed as he did so and absorbing the metal. He stood up, back to Ben and readied himself. It was a stance Ben recognized as offensive, so it was obviously either something Kevin knew or something he was being wary of because of the dead-weight he had to protect.

Putting himself down didn't help the situation and he carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing slowly. Kevin spared him a glance, noting that the other was somewhat wobbly on his feet and figuring they'd probably have to make a break for it. As much as he hated running away, Ben was first priority.

Familiar yellow eyes shown in the darkness, several pairs and Ben resisted the urge to groan in aggravation, ignoring his state of undress: "Who are these guys," he readied himself, wanting to fight them and get it over with as quickly as possible.

"I'm not too sure," Kevin said truthfully. "I've only heard a few bits here and there about them. Apparently, they're in league with the DNAliens."

"What," Ben turned a disbelieving face to the taller. "The DNAliens? They're not still around."

"Sure they are," the sounds drew closer and the first of the group left the shadows, it large lizard-like body frightening and covered in scales and spines. "They're regrouping, apparently still intent on carrying out their original plans of 'take over the world,' and these guys are just helping them along. I've got limited intel on them, but a good source says there's a pretty big operation in Nevada."

Ben didn't say anything else, keeping his eyes on their newfound foes and wishing he had the Omnitrix. His aliens would have been pretty handy. Unfortunately, neither he nor Gwen had foreseen yet _another_ attempt at 'destroy the human race' so they figured they'd put it away for, what they thought, good.

Several more of the creatures left the shadows, eyes still glowing a frightening yellow. A few of them, Ben noted, were holding unfamiliar weapons. Pistols of some sort. He fisted his hands, wishing he had a weapon of his own.

The lizards lifted the weapons, aiming at the pair, and blue light emitted from the barrel. Ben was quick enough to fall to the ground, but Kevin got hit in the chest and arm. The light penetrated his metal armor and the taller fell to one knee.

"Kevin," Ben crawled over to the other, but was waved off.

"I'm fine. The weapons don't do any sort of damage," he stood, Ben doing so as well.

The aliens lowered the weapons, confused, and tossed them aside, deciding that claws would be better for getting the job done.

The brunet swallowed audibly, looking at Kevin a moment before turning his attention back to the advancing hoard. It wasn't looking all that great, and he doubted that Kevin could take on an entire fleet of aliens by himself, no matter how strong he was.

"Where's the Omnitrix, Ben," Kevin skirted along the length of the bed, obviously high-tailing it in mind.

"Only Gwen and I know," he said, looking at his empty wrist. Ghost pains lingered in the appendage for the past three years and now it began to throb steadily as he thought about having to put it on once more. If he had to save the world again he could go ahead and say 'goodbye' to normal life. As much as he was looking forward to it. How troublesome.

"Then what say we get rid of these guys and make sure that no one else knows," Ben looked back at his comrade as Kevin tossed him a steel pipe. He caught it, turning to wrap his right hand around it. His left one was beginning to hurt and he didn't trust it to hold anything.

"You don't think it's what they're after," Ben inquired, going to the other side of the bed he'd been on.

"It's got to be," Kevin put his hand under the frame of the bed. "They're after you, aren't they? They most likely don't want you using the Omnitrix to stop their plans." The mutant heaved, sending the bed flying towards their opponents as they continued to get on the platform. They scattered, three of them getting pinned beneath the heavy metal body and mattress.

Kevin grabbed his arm, right where the object in question had once been, and began running, dragging a still-wobbly Ben behind him.

Ben's head spun at the action and he nearly tripped on the stairs as they went up. The dark greys of the subway didn't let up, even as they neared the surface and he realized he must've been out for a long time. Night had fallen on the city and as they entered the streets he realized that there was no one around. It was cold, and he'd left his shirt and pants downstairs. In nothing but green boxers and bandages, he shivered and watched his breath curl upwards as they ran. His arm and head stung painfully and he shook his head, losing his balance as he did so. Kevin's hand let go of his arm as he fell, probably thinking he wanted to run by himself, and he hit the asphalt hard.

The mutant turned, wide-eyed as Ben picked himself up, shakily getting to his feet. He wouldn't be able to run anymore and the taller simply went back the few steps and picked the other up bridal style. The steel pipe clattered to the dark ground and Ben looked over his shoulder.

"They're not following," he queried, confused.

"I'm not taking any chances," Kevin said, picking up the pace. Ben was light and relatively easy to carry, which meant he could run pretty quick while carrying him. It was nice, but not the time for such observations. "We'll take my car and go back to your place. There's no manholes around your street, so it would be the safest bet for now."

Ben wanted to protest. His parents would most likely be home and if they saw him in such a state and being carried by Kevin they would want answers that he couldn't give.

"No, wait," a better idea popped into his head. "We need to get to Mount Rushmore."

Kevin looked at him out of the corner of his eye like Ben'd gone crazy.

"Trust me."

It was all the motivation the mutant needed and he gave his assent.

-

It would be hours before they reached Mount Rushmore, and Ben hadn't contacted his parents beforehand or even stopped in to get his own clothes. Currently, the eighteen-year-old was sitting hunched up in the front seat while Kevin drove wearing the only thing the older teen kept in his car as far as clothing was concerned: a too-big, grey t-shirt. He looked cute in it and Kevin couldn't help but imagine waking up and having Ben walk around in nothing but too-big t-shirts and wife beaters. That'd be nice. No. That'd be a dream come true.

"We have quite a ways to go, even with my car, so you should get some shut-eye," Kevin stated, watching Ben try not to nod off.

"No," Ben shook his head, lightly, "I want to be ready the moment we get there. Especially if DNAliens are involved. There's a small chance they've already found the Omnitrix or at least know where it is. Being prepared for an ambush-"

"Is silly if you think you can take them on in your current condition," the driver reasoned. "Go ahead. I'll wake you up before we get there so you have a chance to wipe the sleep from your eyes."

Ben nodded once and curled up, not bothering to put the seat back.

Kevin watched him through his periphery for a few minutes, passing a few cars as he sped on the nearly-empty interstate.

_I am not._

The words rang through his head ominously. Ben wasn't a virgin. It was ... infuriating. Kevin had wanted to be Ben's first, and the knowledge that the other participant in such a sacred act could have been Julie made him see red. He narrowly avoided ramming into the back of the car ahead of him and swerved to the left, passing up the white sedan as it's driver honked angrily, waving a fist at the careless driver.

'Shoulda made my move sooner,' he thought to himself. It only hurt when he thought of it like that.

-

The next couple of hours had Ben wake up twelve times, mostly because of headaches and phantom pain in his wrist where the Omnitrix used to sit. It worried Kevin, even more so when the younger admitted to having the phantom pains for the past three years.

One hundred miles away, three police chases and two _minor_ accidents behind them, and Kevin debated on whether or not to wake up his passenger. It didn't look like Ben was getting any better sleep, what with all the tossing and turning he'd been doing for the past twenty minutes, and the taller decided to let him sleep another half hour or so. That would give him about fifteen minutes to wake himself up and plenty of time to ready himself for a battle, Kevin hoped, they wouldn't have to fight.

Then again, watching Ben kick alien ass in boxers and a big, old t-shirt might have been amusing ... if it wasn't so cold out. Kevin had known enough to wear a black long-sleeved shirt and dark blue jeans. He also had shoes on -he thought back to the subway- and figured maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to drag a bare-footed young man up cement steps. The other had to at least have some bruises, if not nasty scrapes, especially from when he fell afterwards and Kevin berated himself. Being careless with his crush was no way to win the other's heart ... or Gwen's trust. Yeah. He definitely needed her trust if he was going to go out with Ben. If he _could_ go out with Ben.

Ben: the guy who was no longer a virgin, the guy who was too small to be on the football team even in physical education during high school, the guy who was probably straight ... Kevin avoided yet another car in front of him, flipping his finger at the driver as he passed, a horn left blaring far behind as his tried to press down harder on the accelerator.

He knew where the Plumber's base was at Mount Rushmore, but he woke Ben up before they even got on the road that led to the dead-end. The bumps and potholes of a little-used dirt road rattled Ben awake more than Kevin's voice did and the smaller rubbed at his eyes, stifling a yawn with his free hand.

'Cute,' the dark-haired youth's thoughts were running on autopilot and he crushed the word. Ben was, true, but it wasn't the time for admiration or observation or whatever the hell he was doing.

A rather large hole on the right side sent the car bumping up higher than would be considered 'normal,' and Kevin bit back a curse. The Camaro could handle it, sure, but it didn't mean the driver wanted it to.

"Pull up to the sign," Ben said, stretching a little. He made no comment about the bumps that Kevin hit, either not noticing or not caring, and the older youth was glad that he didn't make a jibe at his driving.

Kevin followed the instruction and watched as Ben pulled out one of Max's message boxes and pushed a small button on the side of it. Immediately, the ground beneath them began to shake and sink and Kevin wondered if perhaps his car would fall apart before they reached the bottom.

It was about half-way down when he began having second thoughts. Ben had been put through so much for that stupid alien tech when he was wearing it. It was beginning to merge more and more completely with him and Kevin figured it would only be a matter of time before transformation was no longer and issue. When Ben could no longer become an alien and just took it's powers to use whenever he chose and the Omnitrix and he became inseparable. Aliens from all over the galaxy would want it at it's full potential and would do anything to get it, even cut off Ben's arm. It was a thought that didn't sit well with him and when the platform finally clanged to the bottom of the pit his stomach churned.

Ben simply got out of the car, quietly, his face stern and his bare feet slapping against the concrete ground the only sound in the dark base. He flipped a switch somewhere in the darkness, away from the car's headlights, and the overhead lights flickered to life, dim and somewhat sadly. Maybe they knew what was going on.

Kevin followed suit, brows furrowed as Ben moved slowly to a corner, pressing a few buttons to bring up a small safe hidden beneath the floor. He stood behind the smaller, watching as he knelt down, thighs beginning to bleed again as the wounds stretched with the action, and opened the safe.

The Omnitrix. Shiny and new. Untouched for three years. It glittered menacingly and Kevin immediately hated it, hated what it was going to do to Ben and the world.

Without a word, Ben picked it up, gently, almost cradling it and the only thing Kevin was interested in was how fast he could smash it before it could do anymore damage to the young man before him.

'I hate you,' he thought, and the alien watch glowed, as if taunting him. The damned thing probably knew it was needed again and it was gloating. Stupid watch. 'The next chance I get ...'

The watch neared Ben's wrist and Kevin reached forward, putting a warm hand on the other's small shoulder.

"You don't have to," he said quietly. "No one will blame you if you don't."

Ben paused, considering the words, then shook his head. Kevin's dismay was obvious and he fairly slumped as the Omnitrix opened up to engulf the thin wrist: "I don't have much of a choice."

It was a death sentence, Kevin knew. Ben understood that every single time he put on that watch, every single time he used it or even touched it it became more and more a part of him. To imagine the green-eyed boy become a xenomorph for the rest of his life, knowing the world would never be safe as long as he and the Omnitrix existed was almost too much.

A snap. The deed was done and Kevin watched as the Omnitrix glowed, the stiff band becoming pliable and moving up Ben's arm and around his hand. It stopped, halfway down his fingers and two thirds of the way up his forearm, black as pitch with a single green stripe slicing down the left side. The face beeped as though in greeting, recognizing Ben immediately.

The smaller stood, looking deep into Kevin's dark eyes. He didn't smile or give any type of reassurance, simply looked, then walked past the taller towards the green and black car.

"It's time to go," he said monotonously and all Kevin could do was follow.

A/N 2: By the way, it only took me about three or four hours to write this, so if you see any mistakes or anything that could be misinterpreted, please tell me. It was kinda rushed since I did most of it in cell. XD I hate that class. T-T


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